Thursday, 8 August 2013

Martin Rubashov - Let Them Go Ahead

Single review by kev@thesoundofconfusion.co.uk

Reading the blurb that came with this single we were braced for the worst. Martin Rubashov had tried to balance city life with living in a cabin in the woods, he's also travelled extensively, equipped with his most precious possession: his acoustic guitar. He bought a sitar in India, he bought a mandolin in Prague. So if we're not looking at a second-rate Bon Iver then we're probably looking at another dull-as-shit singer-songwriter for the Jack Johnson fans to fawn over until the next Ben Hoard album arrives. We were, it's a relief to say, proven wrong on both counts.

With his debut album 'The Watcher Of The Skies' now available, 'Let Them Go Ahead' was picked as a single, and yes, it does begin like your regular singer-songwriter fare, but only briefly. This is a proper song without wishy-washy hippy lyrics or six-form level introspection; this is a decent guitar-pop song. Being backed by a full band helps, but even without the padding it's clear that the actual song is written to good standard. It's got a good chorus, good lyrics and doesn't follow those other acts that have destroyed the genre recently. We could do with a few more people like Martin Rubashov around.